Improvement in gravity-batteries



M. W. PARRISH.

GRAVITY BATTERY.

Patented 0ct.10,1876.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MYRON W. PARRISH, OF JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAVITY-BATTERIES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,201, dated October10, 1876; application filed August 31, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MYRON'W. PARRISH, ofJackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have inventedan Improved Grav- -ity-Battery, of which the following is aspecification:

My invention relates to an improvement in what is commonly known as thegravity-battery, having for its object to keep the circuit complete fora given length of time, while the zinc is removed from the cell forcleansing or replacing it with a new one. To this end it consists in theemployment of a copper hasket (to which the zinc wire is connected) forsuspending the zinc plate in the supernatant zinc solution, so that, ifthe zinc plate be temporarily removed from the cell, the circuit willremain continuous and perfect until the supernatant solution isexhausted.

Figure l is a perspective view of my cell,

- with a portion of another, showing the manner of coupling the twoelements, and with a portion of the glass cup broken away. Fig. 2 is adetached perspective view of a pair of hangers, which form a basket tosuspend the zinc plate shown in Fig. 1.

In the drawing,A represents a glass or other cell, in the bottom ofwhich is laid a sheet-copper scroll, 13, provided with a wire, a, forconnecting it with the zinc of the next cell. In setting up the batterythe cell is nearly filled with a solution of sulphate of zinc andsulphate of copper, in the usual proportions, before placing in it thecopper scroll.

Heretofore the zinc plate has been suspended in the zinc solution byhooking a hanger cast in one piece with it over the top edge of thecell, and to which hanger the copper wire of the next cell was connectedby a bindingscrew, which resulted in breaking the circuit at each time azinc plate was removed for repairs or renewal, or, from corrosion, itbroke off from the hanger and fell down onto the copper scroll.

To overcome these objections I employ a basket composed of two crossedcopper hangers, D D, to sustain or support the cruciform zinc plate 0 atits proper level in the solution, which hangers have hooks d d at theends, which rest upon the top edge of the cell, to suspend the basketformed by them therein. The wire a, leading from the copper of the nextcell, is fastened by a binding-screw, b, to one of the hooks of ahanger, instead of, as heretofore, being fastened directly to the zincplate, so that the latter is now no longer necessary to complete thecircuit from one cell to the solution in the next one, (to which it ishung,)-but, by its decomposition, furnishes the necessary quantity ofsulphate of zinc to keep up the cell.

It the zinc plate is removed, (the circuit being complete, as abovedescribed,) the current will be maintained, through the basket-hangersand the solution, to the copper, the same as if the zinc were in place,until the zinc solution is exhausted or destroyed, which may be fromfour to ten hours, thus allowing ample time to cleanse, repair, andreplace the zinc plates of a battery without breaking the circuit.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a gravity-battery, substantiallyas described, a copper hanger adapted to complete the circuit throughthe contained solution, and to suspend or sustain the zinc plate in thelatter, substantially as set forth.

2. The copper hangers D D, forming a basket for sustaining the zincplate in the supernatant solution of a gravity-battery, and adapted tocomplete the circuit through the solutions independently of the zincplate, substantially as described.

MYBON W. PARRISH.

Witnesses:

H. F. EBERTS, OHAs. J. HUNT.

